“Get lost in the push.”
That’s the motto Jason “Jay” VanPorppal and Orio Ramirez are repeating as they venture through the sweltering heat and scalding roads of Arizona.
Despite 14-hour days and technical malfunctions, the boarders are tenacious in their pursuit to become skateboard legends: They’re trying to become the only known people to have ever skateboarded from Venice Beach, California, to New York City.
“We’ve been skating our whole lives,” VanPorppal said. “We just said we should do it.”
The duo left the Los Angeles area on Sept. 30, and VanPorppal has been posting daily updates on his TikTok and Instagram accounts, sharing the adventure with his 197,000 followers on Instagram. VanPorppal estimates the trip should take about 50 days to complete.
Why the skateboarders decided to skate across the US
When it comes to skating, love might be an understatement. For VanPorppal and Ramirez, skating is a way of life.
Vanporppal, 25, lives in Los Angeles and skateboards almost daily in Venice Beach. Ramirez, 25, lives in the Bay Area. They met about four years ago through a mutual skateboarding friend. They began chatting when that same friend held a party in September.